HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Cats

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cats have been used in experiments in Britain in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The following table contains information on the number of cats used in procedures undertaken between 2008 and 2012.
	
		
			 Table 1 Number of cats used in scientific procedures in Great Britain between 2008 and 2012 
			  Procedures 
			 2008 176 
			 2009 172 
			 2010 152 
			 2011 153 
			 2012 202 
			 Source: Home Office

Animal Experiments: Cats

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason scientific experiments on cats are permitted.

Norman Baker: Cats, along with some other species, are given special protection by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and may only be used if no other species is suitable or it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for the purposes of the relevant programme of work. It is my objective to minimise the use of cats as far as possible.
	Cats are primarily used in the development of veterinary medicines and techniques, and in neurological research. Much of the veterinary research is for the benefit of cats, for example in developing vaccines for feline diseases and improved diets for cats.

Entry Clearances

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 364W, on entry clearances, what options the policy and operational teams in her Department are considering to best accommodate a clearance programme once the appeal against the judgment of Mr Justice Blake on 5 July 2013 on the Government’s visa income threshold is published.

Karen Bradley: We will study the Court of Appeal judgment in MM and Others closely when this is handed down. We will then decide and announce how we will deal with those applications placed on hold pending the conclusion of the litigation.

Female Genital Mutilation

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female genital mutilation cases her Department has been made aware of in each year since 2012; and in how many such cases those involved were either deported or threatened with deportation.

James Brokenshire: Information on the basis of claim for asylum is not centrally recorded, and the information requested in the hon. Gentleman’s question could be obtained only through a manual search of individual case files. This would exceed the cost limit.
	As we do not centrally record the information requested, we are unable to obtain the data for the number of people whose claim involved female genital mutilation that were deported or threatened with deportation.

Immigration Officers: Training

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training immigration officials receive in relation to handling extremely sensitive and emotional situations; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Dealing with sensitive and emotional situations is part of the training provided to all staff in Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas and Immigration and it includes keeping children safe, human trafficking and diversity and equality. Depending on their role, immigration officials also receive further training on duty of care; interviewing vulnerable people; handling sensitive gender and sexual orientation claims; and issues faced by victims of human trafficking. The training highlights warning signs to look for when dealing with vulnerable people and how to refer them to other statutory agencies that have protection or welfare roles.
	There are assurance processes in place to make sure that required standards are continuing to be met. This includes the independent observation and assessment of operational activity on a regular basis to ensure that officers are carrying out their duties appropriately and that staff handle situations sensitively and proportionately.

Marriage of Convenience

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many marriages were reported to the Home Office as suspicious or sham in each year since 2009.

Karen Bradley: Sections 24 and 24A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 place a duty on registration officers to submit a report to the Home Office where they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a marriage or civil partnership is a sham being entered into for immigration purposes. Table 1 shows the number of section 24/24A reports received in each year since 2009. Same sex marriages only came into effect this year, so there are no data relating to this period, or for civil partnerships before 2011.
	The Home Office Intelligence Management System (IMS) records allegations from the public regarding immigration-related offences. Since 30 September 2012 we have recorded the following numbers of reports relating to sham marriage as set out in Table 2.
	These figures relate to reports identified by the public as possible sham marriage.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			   Of which: 
			  Number of section 24/24A reports Refer civil partnerships 
			 2009 561 — 
			 2010 934 — 
			 2011 1,741 28 
			 2012 1,891 28 
			 2013 2,135 25 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 
			  Number of reports relating to sham marriage recorded on IMS 
			 2012 (from 30 September) 984 
			 2013 6,909

Marriage of Convenience

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many marriages reported as suspicious or sham were (a) same sex marriages, (b) heterosexual marriages and (c) civil partnerships in each year since 2009.

James Brokenshire: Sections 24 and 24A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 place a duty on registration officers to submit a report to the Home Office where they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a marriage or civil partnership is a sham being entered into for immigration purposes. Table 1 shows the number of section 24/24A reports received in each year since 2009. Same sex marriages only came into effect this year, so there are no data relating to this period, or for civil partnerships before 2011.
	The Home Office Intelligence Management System (IMS) records allegations from the public regarding immigration-related offences. Since 30 September 2012 we have recorded the following numbers of reports relating to sham marriage as set out in Table 2.
	These figures relate to reports identified by the public as possible sham marriage.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			   Of which: 
			  Number of section 24/24A reports Refer civil partnerships 
			 2009 561 — 
			 2010 934 — 
			 2011 1,741 28 
			 2012 1,891 28 
			 2013 2,135 25 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 
			  Number of reports relating to sham marriage recorded on IMS 
			 2012 (from 30 September) 984 
			 2013 6,909

Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether officials of her Department have (a) met the Attorney-General of Nigeria since January 2012, (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney-General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian Government and (c) received any requests for mutual legal assistance regarding the OPL 245 case.

Karen Bradley: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=home-office&publication_type=transparency-data
	The Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit is investigating complaints made about the case of oil block OPL-245 in Nigeria. As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on this. We can neither confirm nor deny whether there have been discussions with the Attorney-General of Nigeria, or any other senior Nigerian Government official regarding any specific criminal investigation or proceedings.
	It is the usual policy to neither confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual mutual legal assistance request.

Passports

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice her Department gives to parents travelling with a child who has a different surname on ensuring they do not encounter delays at UK border control.

Karen Bradley: The advice Border Force gives to parents travelling with a child who has a different surname is contained in the publically available leaflet ‘Children travelling to the UK’ which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-travelling-to-the-uk

Private Investigators

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 462W, on private investigation, on what date she expects the new statutory licensing requirement to come into force.

Karen Bradley: We expect the new statutory licensing regime for those conducting the activity of private investigations to come into force in 2015.

Racially Aggravated Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racially aggravated attacks were recorded in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The police provide the Home Office with aggregated figures of the recorded number of racially or religiously aggravated assault with (a) and (b) without injury offences. It is not possible to separately identify the specific aggravating factor.
	In the year ending December 2013, the police recorded 2,473 racially or religiously aggravated assault with injury offences and 3,988 racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury offences.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the statement in Vodafone’s 2013-14 Sustainability Report, that section 19 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 prohibits disclosing the existence of any requirement to provide assistance in relation to a warrant, whether her Department issued guidance to that effect.

Karen Bradley: The statutory Interception of Communications Code of Practice, which was approved by Parliament and came into force on 1 July 2002, provides advice on safeguards for intercept material.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Clerk of the House

Simon Burns: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, 
	(1)  how much Saxton Bampfylde will be paid for its work on a successor to the Clerk of the House and chief executive; and if he will publish their terms of reference;
	(2)  when Saxton Bampfylde was appointed for the search for a successor to the Clerk of the House and chief executive;
	(3)  who was responsible for the appointment of Saxton Bampfylde for the search for a successor to the Clerk of the House and chief executive; and who will monitor its progress;
	(4)  who will be responsible for the appointment of the next Clerk of the House and chief executive.

John Thurso: Following a competitive tendering process, Saxton Bampfylde was appointed on 29 May 2014 to support the recruitment of the next Clerk of the House and chief executive, in particular by providing executive search services. Three bids were received and evaluated by Mr Speaker and the director general of HR and Change. The fee for these services is fixed at £18,000. The contract will be monitored by the Department of HR and Change. The recruitment brief to which Saxton Bampfylde is working will be placed in the Library.
	The Clerk of the House is appointed by the Crown by Letters Patent, on the recommendation of the Speaker to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister to the Crown. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a panel chaired by Mr Speaker, three other members of the House of Commons Commission, a senior Back Bencher and an external member.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of staff within the House of Commons Commission who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

John Thurso: The breakdown of staff who classed themselves as white British and who were dismissed following formal disciplinary procedures addressing poor performance, unsatisfactory attendance or misconduct is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2009-10 0 
			 2010-11 100 
			 2011-12 80 
			 2012-13 0 
			 2013-14 25 
		
	
	Over the five years as a whole there were 15 such dismissals of which eight described themselves as white and British. In a further four cases the ethnic background was unknown or not stated and the nationality was unknown or not stated in three cases.

PRIME MINISTER

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to discuss (a) the abolition of the death penalty, (b) freedom of expression and (c) freedom of religion or belief and (d) Tibet with the Chinese Premier during his visit to the UK.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to her on 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 504W.

Ministers: Conduct

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister if he will refer the matter of the release of correspondence between the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Education on preventing extremism to the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher) on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 338W.

CABINET OFFICE

Census

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has for the future of the UK Census; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Government recognise the value of the census but I have long said that it is outdated in its current form and could be more effectively and more cheaply delivered. Decisions about its future will be announced in the usual way, but the Government agree with the conclusion of the Public Affairs Committee that the census needs to change.

Conditions of Employment: Ethnic Groups

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the ethnic breakdown of workers on zero-hours contracts.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the ethnic breakdown of workers on zero-hour-contracts. (199997)
	Estimates of the numbers and characteristics of people in employment on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a survey of people resident in households. The LFS asks people in employment if their job has any flexible working arrangements and, if so, to identify them from a list of employment patterns. “Zero-hours contract” is listed and is described as a contract ‘where a person is not contracted to work a set number of hours, and is only paid for the number of hours that they actually work’.
	Further to this, in January 2014 the ONS undertook a survey of businesses to obtain an employer-based estimate to complement the existing LFS employee-based figure. Results from this survey were published on 30 April 2014:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/contracts-with-no-guaranteed-hours/zero-hours-contracts/art-zero-hours.html
	This adopted a slightly different definition to the LFS, and reported on the number of employee contracts that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours, which provided work in the survey reference period. This estimate includes, but is not exclusively, “zero-hours contracts” and covers some other contract types that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours.
	According to the LFS for the three-month period October to December 2013, there were an estimated 583,000 people on a zero-hours contract in the UK. For the ONS business survey, there were 1.4 million employee contracts that did not guarantee a minimum number of hours, which provided work in the survey reference period of the fortnight beginning 20 January 2014. This is higher than the LFS figure for a number of reasons:
	i. employers and employees will have differing perceptions and awareness about the types of employment contracts used;
	ii. the employer survey will count employee contracts, not people, and will provide higher estimates (as one person can have more than one contract);
	iii. employers in the business survey may report multiple contracts for each job;
	iv. the questions asked of respondents differed slightly, with the business survey asking about contracts not guaranteeing any hours, while the LFS question uses the term “zero-hours contracts”;
	v. the LFS includes all people in employment (including the self-employed) while the business survey only includes employees.
	As for the original question, it is only the LFS that enables a breakdown by ethnicity.
	However, the LFS sample size is not large enough to reliably support estimates of the number of people on zero hours contracts by each individual ethnic group. It can be estimated though that, for October to December 2013 (the latest period for which data are available), of the 583,000 total number of people on zero hours contracts, 510,000 (87%) were white and 71,000 (12%) were non-white. No ethnic group was recorded for about 2,000 people.
	Published estimates for the same period covering total employment by ethnicity show a similar proportional breakdown of 90% and 10% for whites and non-whites, respectively.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. It is estimated that the true value for the total number of people on zero-hours contracts is likely to be within 10 per cent of the estimate given. This also applies to the estimate for the white ethnic group. For the non-white ethnic group the true value is likely to be within 30 per cent of the estimate given.

Employment: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of unemployment in Kettering constituency was (a) in May 2010 and (b) is at present; and how many net new jobs have been created in the Kettering economy since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Prime Minister what the level of unemployment in Kettering constituency was (a) in May 2010 and (b) is at present; and how many net new jobs have been created in the Kettering economy since May 2010. (200351)
	The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for local areas following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	Information regarding the number of new jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net changes in the number of people in employment have been provided.
	Table 1 shows the number of people who were unemployed and the number and net change of people in employment, resident in Kettering constituency. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period January 2013 to December 2013 (the latest available period) and the 12 month period ending in December 2010.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people employed and unemployed in Kettering constituency 
			 Thousand 
			 12 months ending: Unemployment level aged 16 years and over Unemployment rate (%) Employment level aged 16 years and over Net change in employment1 (+/-) 
			 December 2010 4.1 8.4 45.2  
			 December 20132 ****1.9 3.9 ***47.8 2.7 
		
	
	
		
			 1 The net change is calculated on unrounded figures. 2 Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV <5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

HEALTH

Abortion

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the HS4A abortion notification form to require registered medical practitioners to indicate whether they have examined the presenting patient and/or discussed with her the grounds for abortion prior to forming their opinion in good faith that the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 were met;
	(2)  how many HSA4 certificates his Department has returned to terminating doctors pending completion in the last five years.

Jane Ellison: It is estimated that between 2009 and 2013 approximately 49,000 forms were returned to registered medical practitioners (RMPs) for further information and clarification.
	Form HSA4 already requires information to be provided as to whether the two certifying RMPs saw and/or examined the pregnant woman.

Cancer

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended for (i) prostate cancer, (ii) lung cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) breast cancer and (v) kidney cancer through either single or multiple technology appraisals and under the end of life criteria in each year since NICE was established.

Norman Lamb: The consideration of end of life criteria was introduced into the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process in January 2009. NICE has advised that it has recommended the following treatments for prostate, lung, bowel and kidney cancer under its technology appraisal programme where the end of life criteria were applied. No treatments for breast cancer have been recommended under the end of life criteria.
	
		
			 Cancer Appraisal Technology appraisal 
			 Prostate abiraterone in combination with prednisone or prednisolone for the treatment of castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with one docetaxel-containing regimen TA259 
			    
			 Lung oral topotecan for small cell lung cancer TA184 
			  pemetrexed (maintenance treatment) for non-small cell lung cancer TA190 
			    
			 Bowel sunitinib for gastrointestinal stromal tumours TA179 
			    
			 Kidney sunitinib (first-line) for renal cell carcinoma TA169 
			  pazopanib for the first-line treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma TA215 
			 Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Cancer: Drugs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer patients aged between 13 and 24 have (a) accessed treatments through the already approved Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list, (b) applied for individual CDF requests, (c) had individual CDF requests put forward for consideration by the CDF panel, (d) had individual CDF requests approved by the CDF panel and (e) had individual CDF requests refused by the CDF panel in each of the last three years.

Norman Lamb: Prior to April 2013, information on the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority and information on the age of patients who received cancer drugs was not collected.
	NHS England has had oversight of the fund since April 2013 and advises that it does not analyse Cancer Drugs Fund data by age ranges.

Diabetes: Staffordshire

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children began treatment for Type 1 diabetes in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the number of children aged up to 18 years, registered in primary and secondary care, that were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 in the former (a) North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT), (b) South Staffordshire PCT and (c) Stoke-on-Trent PCT, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 North Staffordshire PCT * 10 25 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 23 23 24 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 15 9 24 
			 Notes: 1. Participation in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA), which audits diabetes registrations in primary and secondary care, is not mandatory. The NDA does not have 100% coverage or participation and therefore cannot accurately provide the information requested. 2. The Royal College of paediatrics and Child Health are the authoritative source for all paediatric diabetes audit data. 3. 2012-13 data have not yet been published. The NDA currently only holds data for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. 4. Information is not available by constituency. 5. The NDA provides data on the number of children aged up to 18 years that were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which is synonymous to the number of children who began treatment. 6. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five inclusive have been replaced with *. Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre—National Diabetes Audit

Drugs

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adaptive licensing or early access schemes (a) in the UK and (b) across the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The potential merits and impact of adaptive licensing and early access to medicine schemes were considered by the Expert Group on innovation in the regulation of health care that was established in June 2012 following the Prime Minister’s 2011 Life Science Strategy. The Expert Group was composed of a range of experts from Government, industry, patient and health professional stakeholders.
	In their 2013 report, the group welcomed the proposal for the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS), for highly promising unlicensed medicinal products in areas of high unmet medical need, and urged the Government to introduce it as soon as possible. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency launched the EAMS on 7 April 2014.
	On adaptive licensing, the group saw opportunities for more use of the existing legal flexibilities to facilitate patient access to innovative products. The group urged for the pilot on adaptive licensing by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to be launched at the earliest opportunity.
	The EMA published its adaptive licensing pilot project on 19 March. The Government see this pilot as a test for current licensing flexibilities and the methodology of adaptive licensing. We welcome the pilot and will continue to be actively engaged in the debate in Europe.
	A copy of the report of the Expert Group on innovation in the regulation of health care has been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there were in England per 100,000 population in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The following table sets out how many general practitioners (GPs) there were in England per 100,000 population in each of the last five years:
	
		
			 Full-time-equivalent GPs per 100,000 population 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 All GPs (including registrars and retainers) 69.6 67.5 67.1 67.5 67.8 
			 Source: HSCIC General and Personal Medical Services Statistics Figures as at 30 September in each year 
		
	
	2010 and 2011 figures are based on the 2009 and 2010 Mid-Year Population Estimates (2001 Census). 2012 and 2013 figures are based on the 2011 and 2012 Mid-Year Population Estimates (2011 Census).
	The Government have recognised the need to increase the GP workforce and between September 2010 and September 2013, the number of full-time-equivalent GPs has risen by 1,051. Additionally, the Department has included in the Health Education England (HEE) mandate a requirement that “HEE will ensure that 50% of trainees completing foundation level training enter GP training programmes by 2016”.

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of a GP consultation was in each year since 1984 for which data are available.

Daniel Poulter: Data are not held centrally on the average length of general practitioner (GP) appointments.
	However, NHS England has advised that the latest information available indicates that the average consultation time with a GP is around 12 minutes (2006/07 GP Workload Survey).

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of GP visits was in each year since 1984 for which information is available.

Daniel Poulter: Data on the total cost of general practitioner visits are not available. The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the total expenditure on general practice, both including and excluding the cost of dispensed drugs. The latest available data are from 2012-13, and the earliest available data are from 2003-04.
	
		
			 Total spend on general practice, 2003-04 to 2012-13 
			 £ million 
			  Total Spend Total Net of Dispensing 
			 2003-04 5,811 5,006 
			 2004-05 6,914 6,061 
			 2005-06 7,747 6,864 
			 2006-07 7,757 6,943 
			 2007-08 7,867 7,053 
			 2008-09 7,961 7,145 
			 2009-10 8,321 7,514 
			 2010-11 8,350 7,543 
			 2011-12 8,397 7,607 
			 2012-13 8,459 7,690

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the savings to the NHS from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of GP visits;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the findings of Mental Health Foundation research into the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the reduction in patient visits to the GP.

Norman Lamb: No such assessment of the saving to the national health service from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of general practitioner visits has been made.
	The Department is aware of the Mental Health Foundation’s research into the impact of mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are widely recognised. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance for the NHS has recommended Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression since 2004. MBCT is available through a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in England.

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the relationship of the length of time of GP patient consultation and successful diagnosis.

Daniel Poulter: No assessment has been made of the relationship between the length of time of general practitioner (GP) patient consultation and successful diagnosis. Data on the length of GP appointments are not held centrally.

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of nurse-led patient health checks immediately before GP consultations.

Daniel Poulter: We understand from NHS England that, to date, no assessment has been made of the benefits of nurse-led patient health checks immediately before general practitioner appointments.
	However, practice nurses play an invaluable role as part of the multidisciplinary practice team. For example, in some areas nurses will deliver the NHS Health Check programme, which aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.
	NHS England will also shortly be employing a practice nurse advisor who will be working at national level to help inform and disseminate best practice in relation to health checks and the chief nursing officer will work closely with the medical director to support further work on the Health Check programme.

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the relationship between the length of time of GP patient consultation and patient satisfaction.

Daniel Poulter: Overall patient satisfaction is driven by a range of factors, including accessing general practitioner (GP) appointments at a convenient time, the ability to see a preferred GP and the quality of the conversation with the GP.
	Data are not held centrally on the average length of a GP appointment, and we are not aware of any formal assessment being made of the relationship between the length of time of a GP patient consultation and patient satisfaction.
	However, the GP Patient Survey includes the following question:
	“Last time you saw or spoke to a GP from your GP surgery, how good was that GP at each of the following?
	Giving you enough time
	Listening to you
	Explaining tests and treatments
	Involving you in decisions about your care
	Treating you with care and concern”
	In the most recent GP Patient Survey, published in December 2013, 85.8% of respondents said that their GP was either ‘very good’ or ‘good’ at giving them enough time.

General Practitioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much a GP practice is paid for each patient visit to a GP.

Daniel Poulter: General practitioner (GP) practices are not paid for each patient visit to a GP. GP practices hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for their registered list and receive capitated payments fordoing so.

Human Papillomavirus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 101W, on the human papillomavirus, when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will publish its conclusions into whether the human papillomavirus vaccination should be offered to males.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) human papillomavirus (HPV) sub-committee will report its findings to the JCVI following consideration of on-going studies by Public Health England on the impact and cost-effectiveness of extending HPV vaccination to men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or to adolescent boys.
	It is expected that the MSM modelling study will be completed at the end of 2014 at the earliest, and the adolescent boys modelling study will be completed at the end of 2015 at the earliest. The JCVI will then consider the findings of the HPV sub-committee before deciding what advice or recommendations can be made.

Medical Treatments

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have not received homecare medicines and products on time for treatment of (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) HIV and (c) rheumatoid arthritis in the last year.

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected by the Department or NHS England.

Medical Treatments

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended only for patients who have not been treated with a previously appraised drug;
	(2)  in which single or multiple technology appraisals for pharmacological treatments for cancer the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has considered the sequential use of the appraised technology with another available treatment; and whether in each such appraisal this resulted in a recommendation on sequential use in each year since NICE was established.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that providing all the information in the format requested would incur disproportionate cost.
	Information about technology appraisals where NICE has recommended a technology only in circumstances in which a patient has not been treated with a previously recommended technology can be found within each published technology appraisal on NICE’s website at:
	www.nice.org.uk
	Information about where NICE has considered or made recommendations regarding the sequential use of technologies can also be found within each published technology appraisal on the website.

NHS

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the review by the NHS on intellectual property, “Innovation, Health and Wealth”.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has advised that work to develop proposals following the review is still continuing, and proposals will be shared in due course.

Sunbeds

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will reply to the report by the all party group on skin into sunbed regulation in England.

Jane Ellison: The Government have noted the all party group on skin report and are currently considering the recommendations and the implications.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 Prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Daniel Poulter: The Department received 5,201 written questions in the 2013-14 parliamentary Session. All questions received a substantive answer before the Prorogation.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy: Prices

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the proportion of the Demand Side Balancing Reserve that will comprise of active demand reduction rather than switching on generation assets.

Michael Fallon: The Demand Side Balancing Reserve is operated by National Grid independently from Government. Once National Grid has concluded the procurement of the reserve in the autumn it will be possible to identify the proportion of the reserve that comprises ‘load reduction’ rather than the export of additional generation onto the grid (though initial expressions of interest to National Grid suggest that around 75% of the reserve may be provided by load reduction). However, it will not be possible to determine whether this load reduction is achieved through a reduction in demand, or by turning on local back-up generation to meet local needs.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Gregory Barker: The Department’s Ministers, from time to time, carry out official visits to different parts of the UK to conduct departmental business. The Department does not keep a central record of such visits.
	All overseas travel by the Department’s Ministers is published on a quarterly basis on the www.gov.uk website at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-energy-climate-change&publication_type=transparency-data

Opencast Mining: Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Scottish Government regarding environmental and economic effects of the restoration of former opencast sites in East Ayrshire.

Michael Fallon: I last discussed this matter with my Scottish counterpart in May 2014.

Opencast Mining: Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made in providing funding to assist East Ayrshire council with the restoration of former opencast sites in East Ayrshire; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Proposals have been put to me by Scottish Government Ministers asking Her Majesty's Government to provide a financial contribution towards the costs of restoring abandoned opencast coal mining sites in East Ayrshire and other areas of Scotland. I continue to give consideration to those proposals against the backdrop of other issues currently affecting the coal industry and of spending priorities more generally.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what proportion of the carbon dioxide emissions will be represented by UK electricity generation over the lifetime of the proposed development at Navitus Bay;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of abating all global warming projected to occur over the lifetime of Navitus Bay in sterling and in US dollars; and what intertemporal discount rate has been used in such calculations.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of UK carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise have occurred will be prevented by the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments. Potential impacts of proposed developments are assessed through the planning system. Based on the average carbon intensity of generation from all fossil fuel plants in 2012 (700 g/kWh), which wind would be expected to displace, and using standard historical average load factors for offshore wind farms from 2008 to 2012 inclusive, a wind farm of 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity is expected to displace approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The Department publishes estimated energy and emissions projections to 2030. The latest update can be accessed at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2013

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what fraction of global carbon dioxide emissions will be represented by UK carbon dioxide emissions over the lifetime of the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments. In 2012 it was estimated that UK carbon dioxide emissions accounted for approximately 1.5% of global total carbon dioxide emissions.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much in public subsidy he expects to allocate to the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay.

Gregory Barker: The Government set out the allocation framework for contracts for difference (CfDs) on 13 May 2014, which has the potential to improve value for money, encourage new entry and drive innovation.
	Indicative CfD budgets will be published in July. CfD allocation rounds will then determine which projects are successful and receive CfD contracts and at what level of support. It is not possible to say in advance which projects will receive support and at what level.
	Offshore wind projects, classified as ‘less established' technologies, are able to receive support in this delivery plan period (2014-15 to 2018-19) at the administrative strike prices published on 4 December 2013, unless there is insufficient budget in a CfD allocation round to satisfy all bids then an auction (competitive allocation) will apply. Those technologies would then have to compete against each other on price whereby each project is paid the clearing price for its delivery year within the auction, capped at its administrative strike price.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the unit mitigation cost of Navitus Bay in sterling and in US dollars per Kelvin of global warming abated will be as a result of the proposed wind farm.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments.

EDUCATION

Academic Year

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what economic assessment he has made on the effect on tourism jobs in seaside areas and seaside economies of deregulating school holidays.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government are giving more schools greater flexibility to adapt the shape of the school year in the interests of their pupils' education.
	Although this will extend an existing flexibility to a greater number of schools, our advice will continue to include a clear expectation of schools working with each other and the local authority to coordinate dates to avoid unnecessary disruption to parents and their employers.
	The Department has consulted representatives of the tourist industry. Where schools choose to change their holiday dates, following discussion locally with parents and local businesses, there may well be a positive impact on seaside economies. In areas of high seasonal employment, for example, small variations to term dates agreed locally may help parents to holiday outside of peak periods.

Academies: Admissions

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications his Department has received from academies seeking to change their admissions policies; and how many such applications his Department accepted.

Edward Timpson: Academies can only change their admission arrangements following the procedures set out in the School Admissions Code.
	During the 2013/14 academic year the Education Funding Agency has received requests to change admissions arrangements for eight academies. Of these, seven were approved and one was withdrawn by the academy trust.
	These figures do not include applications to change admissions arrangements that form part of a request for a wider change to an academy's funding agreement, for example extending the age range, as these data are not recorded centrally.

Cancer: Health Education

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that cancer awareness and awareness of cancer symptoms is covered in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: Teaching about cancer awareness is important for all young people, and schools may include cancer awareness as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, and continues to highlight other sources of expertise.
	Schools may also teach about cancer awareness in other areas of the curriculum. For example, the science curriculum requires pupils to learn about the effects of drugs on their bodies and the importance of physical education. In design and technology, schools may highlight the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet.

Local Education Authorities

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities currently operate a three-tier system; how many such authorities have sought to change to a two-tier system since 2010; and how many such authorities have changed to a two-tier system.

David Laws: The Department does not hold records about the number of local authorities that operate three-tier systems.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold a list of ministerial visits and to compile a list would exceed the cost threshold.

Primary Education: Admissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the current starting age for children entering primary education on the wellbeing and attainment of those born in summer months.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not made an assessment of the effect of the current starting age for children entering primary education on the wellbeing and attainment of those born in the summer months.
	However, research1 carried out by the Department has demonstrated that the age at which tests are taken is the dominant reason for month-of-birth gaps in educational attainment, and not the age at which children start school; it is simply the fact of being younger when tested that accounts for most of the differences observed. The research reported no evidence of a causal relationship between school entry age and attainment.
	1https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182664/DFE-RR017.pdf
	Parents of summer-born children who think their child is not ready to start school can request that their child is admitted outside of their normal age group and be admitted to reception year in the September following their fifth birthday. The school’s admission authority is responsible for making the decision, which must be based on the individual circumstance of each case.

Reading: Teaching Methods

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Phonic Screening Check;
	(2)  when the Government plan to evaluate the introduction of the Phonic Screening Check and take a decision on its continuation;
	(3)  if he will publish the information considered by his Department ahead of making the decision to introduce the Phonic Screening Check.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education is evaluating the introduction of the Phonics Screening Check through a three-year externally-commissioned independent evaluation, undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research. The evaluation is now in the final year. The first two reports have been published and can be found online:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-phonics-screening-check-first-interim-report
	and
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-evaluation
	There are no plans to discontinue the Phonics Screening Check.
	The Department piloted the Phonics Screening Check in 300 primary schools in 2011, prior to national roll-out in 2012. The evaluation report on the pilot can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-1-phonics-screening-check-pilot-evaluation
	We have also published annual technical reports evaluating the validity and reliability of the Check. The first of these reports was based on the pilot and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-pilot-2011-technical-report
	The technical reports since the national roll-out can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-2012-technical-report
	and
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-2013-technical-report

Schools

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many middle schools there are in England; and how many of those schools are academies.

David Laws: There are 190 schools in England that are recorded on Edubase, the Department's database of education providers, as being middle schools. Of these, 59 are converter academies and three are sponsored academies.

Science: Females

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) objectives, (b) governance, (c) intended duration and (d) funding of the Your Life campaign are; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The main objective of the Your Life campaign is to increase the number of young people choosing A levels in maths or physics.
	The campaign will be led by an independent organisation chaired by Edwina Dunn, and it will run for three years.
	It will seek support and resources from leading employers and organisations. The Government have provided limited funds to establish a website and other set-up work.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to promote Northern Ireland's natural beauty to boost its tourism.

Theresa Villiers: Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom and the televising around the world of the G8 summit in Fermanagh last year and the recent Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza will doubtless result in new tourist visits.
	The promotion of tourism is a devolved matter, but I take every opportunity to invite those whom I meet to come and visit and enjoy Northern Ireland for themselves.

Film and Television

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local colleges train the people of Northern Ireland with the appropriate skills to enable further growth in film and television production in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: This is a devolved matter but I took the opportunity of raising it with the Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning, on the hon. Gentlemen’s behalf, when I met him on 18 June.

TREASURY

Atos Origin

Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of whether Atos is an appropriate body to conduct (a) the delivery of tax-free childcare and (b) other outsourced work on behalf of National Savings and Investments.

Nicky Morgan: On 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of child care accounts within tax-free child care. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before they make their decision on the provision of child care accounts.
	Atos was awarded the contract to provide services to NS&I, and to use the NS&I-related assets, processes and infrastructure to provide services to others on a shared service basis subject to assessment of scope and nature, and agreement of NS&I. The contract was awarded following an open and competitive tender process and commenced on 1 April 2014, and is subject to ongoing scrutiny based on defined service levels, transparency requirements and a clear risk strategy.

Beer: Excise Duties

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates have been made for the net financial benefit to the pub industry of the reduction in beer duty in the 2014 Budget.

Nicky Morgan: Budget 2014 cut the tax on a typical pint of beer by one penny. This will support pubs as the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimate nearly two thirds of the alcohol sold in pubs is beer. After the beer duty cut at Budget 2013, a BBPA survey suggested 76% of its members increased their investment and 61% employed more staff.
	Some pubs have diversified away from beer and these pubs will benefit from the duty on ordinary cider and spirits being frozen this year, as well as from ending the wine duty escalator.

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the financial penalties for non-compliance with the minimum wage issued by HM Revenue and Customs in 2013-14 were for the then maximum sum of £5,000.

David Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of the national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC reviews every complaint that is referred to it by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800917 2368). In addition, HMRC conduct targeted compliance activity based on data received from various sources and robust risk assessment processes, to identify the sectors and employers across the United Kingdom who are considered more likely to be failing to pay NMW.
	The Government have increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50% to 100% and the maximum penalty has increased from £5,000 to £20,000. The revised penalty is calculated as 100% of the total underpayment for all of the workers specified in a Notice of Underpayment relating to pay reference periods that commence on or after 7 March 2014.
	HMRC issued the maximum penalty of £5,000 to 52 employers identified as owing workers arrears of pay under national minimum wage legislation in 2013-14.

National Savings and Investments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department had with representatives of National Savings and Investments in (i) August 2013, (ii) September 2013, (iii) October 2013, (iv) November 2013, (v) December 2013, (vi) January 2014, (vii) February 2014 and (viii) March 2014.

Nicky Morgan: National Savings and Investments is an executive agency of the Treasury. As with all of its supporting agencies and public bodies, the Treasury holds regular meetings with NS & I on a wide range of issues.

National Savings and Investments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the decision was taken that National Savings and Investments would be responsible for the delivery of tax-free childcare; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: On the 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of childcare accounts within tax-free childcare. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before it makes its decision on the provision of childcare accounts.

Self-employed

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many income tax payers were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each succeeding year.

David Gauke: Estimates of the number of individuals with self-employment sources are published in HMRC’s National Statistics table 3.6 which is available at the following internet address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/earned-income-2010-to-2011
	These tables provide information up to 2011-12 and are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for the years concerned. The SPI for 2012-13 will be available later in the year.

Welfare Tax Credits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those who are (a) out-of-work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years are tax credit claimants.

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available.
	Data on the total number of employed, self-employed and unemployed people in the UK are published in the ONS Labour Market Statistics publication, available at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/index.html
	However, it is not possible to calculate proportions as the ONS has different definitions for ‘out-of-work’, self-employed and employed when compared to the tax credits system.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution: East Midlands

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: The Coal Authority is responsible for dealing with reported cases of escaped gases from disused mine workings, including monitoring concentrations where necessary. Consequently, DEFRA has made no assessment of the impact on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings.

Hill Farming

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on support for moorland farmers; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: We consulted on proposals for changes to the regional direct payment rates in October 2013, and announced our decision in December to align the payment rates in relation to the lowland and severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs). We also said that we would undertake further analysis and consultation on the appropriate payment rate for the moorland region. We received several contributions to the analysis from stakeholders, and consulted further through the Direct Payments Consultative Group and other forums. Our decision in April confirmed that the payment rate in the moorland will be increased by approximately the same cash amount as the uplift previously announced for the rate in the rest of the SDA. The decision has been welcomed by a number of organisations representing hill and moorland farmers.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Dan Rogerson: To identify every visit made by all of our Ministers over the period would incur a disproportionate cost as the information is not collated centrally.
	However, information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and their overseas travel is published quarterly on the gov.uk site. This reflects the civil service’s commitment to transparency.
	Please find links to the relevant reports from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2013:
	1 January to 31 March 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212312/defra-min-transparency-1213-q4.pdf
	1 April to 30 June 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246396/Ministerial_expenses_-_1_April_to_30_June_2013.pdf
	1 July to 30 September 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265462/Ministers_Quarterly_return_July_to_September_2013.pdf
	1 October to 31 December 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320333/Ministerial_Quarterly_Transparency_information_-_October_to_December_2013.pdf
	Transparency data for 1 January to 31 March 2014 are expected to be available on the webpage later this month. The data for 1 April to 30 June 2014 are due to be published in September.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Members: Conduct

Karen Lumley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether recall powers for local elected representatives will be included in the Government’s Bill to enable recall of hon. Members.

Nicholas Clegg: The Government have no plans at this time to extend the power of recall beyond Members of Parliament.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled entrepreneurs have been able to access additional support funding through the Access to Work programme.

Michael Penning: In the financial year April 2013—March 2014 DWP supported 4066 disabled customers who are registered as self employed through the Access to Work programme. Of which 57 customers were also from the New Enterprise Allowance programme.

Children: Maintenance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents are in arrears to the Child Support Agency in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK.

Steve Webb: The Child Support Agency (CSA) administers the 1993 and 2003 Statutory Child Maintenance Schemes in Great Britain.
	The latest area breakdown available for the number of CSA cases with arrears is available as at the end of the quarter to December 2013 and has been provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Ribble Valley1 Lancashire1,3 GB2 
			 December 2013 1,700 36,000 1,277,000 
			 1 Figures rounded to nearest 10. 2 Figures rounded to nearest 100. 3 Lancashire consists of the following local authorities: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, RibbleValley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire and Wyre. Note: Caseloads have been allocated to a local authority and parliamentary constituency by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems and cases managed off system, to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory.

Employment and Support Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recent report from Mind entitled Fulfilling Potential? ESA and the fate of the work-related activity group.

Esther McVey: The Government have put in place a comprehensive system of support for disabled people and those with health conditions. We keep all our policies under review and are committed to improving further the employment support offered.

Employment and Support Allowance: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16-year-olds claimed employment and support allowance in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of employment and support allowance claimants aged 16 Great Britain, 2010-13 
			  Total 
			 November 2010 1,220 
			 November 2011 1,210 
			 November 2012 1,120 
			 November 2013 1,030 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. Source: DWP Information Governance and Security Directorate 100% WPLS.

Jobcentre Plus

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is available on autism for jobcentre plus advisers.

Esther McVey: All Jobcentre Plus advisers have access to a comprehensive learning programme which includes a specific focus on taking consideration of individuals’ personal circumstances. This training ensures staff are aware that disabilities and health conditions including autism can affect individuals in different ways.
	Specialist help can be provided by Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive additional courses appropriate to this specialist area. This training has been designed with input from Specialist DWP Work Psychologists to enable these advisers to support people with particular complex needs. This training includes case studies relating to autism.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16-year-olds claimed jobseeker's allowance in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is published and can be found at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp

Personal Independence Payment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many personal independence payments entitlement decisions on applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014;
	(2)  how many personal independence payments applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014.

Michael Penning: The available data on the number of claims and decisions made up to 28 March 2014 have been published and are available from:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317425/pip-statistical-release-june-2014.pdf
	Entitlement data to PIP up to 28 February 2014 are available using the Stat-Xplore tool:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm.
	These statistics and data will be updated in due course.

Personal Independence Payment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for personal independence payments have been made by claimants whose disability living allowance payments have been terminated; and what interim financial support his Department makes available to such claimants.

Michael Penning: There are no data available on claims to personal independence payment (PIP) by claimants in receipt of, or previously in receipt of, disability living allowance (DLA).
	Existing recipients of DLA claiming PIP do not have their DLA terminated at the point of claim but continue to receive their DLA while the PIP claim is being assessed.

Personal Independence Payment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure claimants experiencing delays in their personal independence payments assessments are kept better informed of the status of their applications.

Michael Penning: We have taken immediate action to ensure that claimants receive all the information they need.
	This includes a number of actions:
	SMS updates acknowledging receipt of the “How your disability affects you” form.
	Updated Gov.uk to include clear information.
	Detailed information on estimated journey times.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what scope there is for amending an individual's claimant commitment after it has first been drawn up.

Esther McVey: Once in place, both the claimant and Jobcentre Plus work coach can ask for the Claimant Commitment to be changed at any time.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the waiting period will be before an individual qualifies for support through universal credit; and how long he expects it will take to calculate entitlement and process new claims for universal credit.

Esther McVey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the 2013 spending review that a seven-day waiting period is to be introduced into universal credit from April 2015.
	Each claim for UC is assigned an assessment period. The payment due date is a fixed day of the month that falls seven days after the end of the assessment period and on the same day of each subsequent month. Entitlement will be assessed so that payment should arrive in the claimant's bank account on or before the payment due date.
	If any claimant is in need of support during this time they are eligible to apply for a UC advance (new claim).

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in developing local support services for universal credit claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Local Support Services update and trialling plan was published in December 2013 and set out how DWP and local authorities will work together to test different arrangements for partnership working, financial management, the effective delivery of front- line services and other specific aspects of the Local Support Services Framework.
	The closing date for bids from DWP/LA partnerships, to undertake robust trialling, was Friday 13 June. Trials will start in autumn and run for 12 months.

Work Capability Assessment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to collect data on work capability assessment outcomes for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia; and if he will estimate the cost of collecting such data.

Michael Penning: The Department does collect some data on work capability assessment (WCA) outcomes for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia but they are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Capability Assessment

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response he has given to the recommendation of the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament that (a) those living with long-term progressive conditions should not be subject to reassessments and (b) changes should be made to the work capability assessment criteria to better recognise the impact of hidden symptoms and fluctuating conditions including multiple sclerosis.

Michael Penning: As Minister of State with the responsibility for this policy area I responded to the letter dated 21 March 2014 from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 26 April. In this letter I:
	(a) responded by explaining the importance of claimants having contact with the Department; the need to move away from the old style incapacity benefit; and that employment and support allowance claimants, including those claimants with progressive illnesses, will be placed in the support group if they meet the criteria.
	(b) responded that through the evidence based review of the work capability assessment the current descriptors were tested against an alternative assessment and what the findings indicated.

Work Capability Assessment

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response he has given to the letter to him of 21 March 2014 from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the recommendations of its review of work capability assessments.

Michael Penning: As Minister of State with responsibility for this policy area I responded to the letter from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 26 April 2014 thanking them for their recommendations and drawing out the links between those and the recommendations made by Doctor Litchfield in the fourth Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment published in December 2013.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what scope there is for a Work Programme prime provider or sub-contractor to propose variations to the claimant commitment agreed with a jobseeker who subsequently embarks on the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The claimant can ask for their Agreement/Commitment to be changed at any time. Where a Work Programme provider or sub-contractor feels the Agreement/Commitment should be varied, they should ask the claimant to raise this at their next attendance at the Jobcentre.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Embassies: Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 142W, on embassies: Iran, what the estimated monetary value is of each of the works of art cited in that answer which is owned by the Government Art Collection.

Edward Vaizey: The most recent estimated values for the works (December 2011) were as follows:
	0/664 George Hayter—Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901—oil painting: £20,000
	5230 Ahmad—Fath 'Ali Shah (1797-1834) 2nd Qajar Shah of Iran—oil painting: £1,200,000
	0/663 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King Edward VII (1841-1910) Reigned 1901-10—oil painting: £2,000
	17351 Adrian Berg—Gloucester Gate, Regent's Park, June—oil painting: £10,000
	13319 Cedric Morris—Tulips and Iris—oil painting: £20,000
	0/661 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King George V (1865-1936) Reigned 1910-36—oil painting: £2,000.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Derelict Land

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of brownfield land in England is covered by a Local Development Order.

Nicholas Boles: At this point in time, this information is not centrally held.
	However, I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on the steps we are taking to promote the use of Local Development Orders on brownfield land.
	In addition, the written ministerial statement of 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 33WS, provides a broader summary of steps we have taken to facilitate empty and redundant land and property being brought back into productive use.

Roads: Lighting

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has given local authorities on ensuring that road safety is not compromised by street lighting being switched off; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Street lighting plays an important role in road safety, as well as ensuring the personal safety of pedestrians.
	As I stated in my answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), on 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 535-36W, there is no prescriptive Whitehall guidance on street lighting, and any assessment will depend on local circumstances and local views. In addition, Manual for Streets, while out of date in certain areas (eg on parking and density), contains some useful guidance on getting the balance right when providing street lighting, taking into account the different issues around safety, crime prevention, street clutter and light pollution. It can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/manual-for-streets

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations of allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were investigated by the Royal Military Police in (A) 2010, (B) 2011 and (C) 2012.

Anna Soubry: The table shows the number of recorded investigations by the Royal Military Police for rape, sexual assault and domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.
	
		
			  Rape Sexual assault 
			 2010 - 25 
			 2011 5 20 
			 2012 5 15 
		
	
	The figures have been rounded to the nearest five. The figure “-” represents a sample of less than five. The specific figure has not been disclosed to ensure that the alleged victim(s) cannot be identified. This is in line with the Sexual Offences (Amendments) Act 1976 and 1992.
	Because of the way domestic violence statistics are recorded it is taking some time to collate the information. I will write to the hon. Member with an answer shortly.
	The Royal Military Police is the Army’s police force and together with its Royal Navy and Royal Air Force counterparts, are collectively known as the Service Police. Under Home Office Circular 028/2008, which defines investigative jurisdiction in the UK, primacy generally rests with the civilian police, although the Service Police may take the lead in an investigation if both the suspect and the victim in a particular case are serving members of the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were prosecuted by the Services Prosecuting Authority in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012;
	(2)  how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were referred to the Services Prosecuting Authority for a charging decision in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the tables:
	
		
			 Referrals to the Service Prosecuting Authority 2010 2011 2012 
			 Rape (Including attempted rape) 1 6 9 
			 Sexual Assault 25 30 12 
			 Domestic Violence 8 7 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Prosecutions (directions) by the Service Prosecuting Authority 2010 2011 2012  
			 Rape (Including attempted rape) 1 3 2 
			 Sexual Assault 13 15 9 
			 Domestic Violence 2 4 4 
		
	
	In any given year the Service Prosecuting Authority will receive referrals which are then directed, disposed of, or tried in the following year, meaning there is no direct correlation between the numbers of cases referred and directed in any one year.

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department will issue a formal response to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence will respond to the NAO’s report in line with Government practice for such reports.

AWE

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which US establishments were visited by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment under the terms of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement in 2013; and how many staff visited each such establishment.

Philip Dunne: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Support Group

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new buildings his Department plans to provide for the use of the private sector partner taking over the Defence Support Group; and what the potential cost to the public purse is of such provision.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not intend to provide any new buildings as part of the sale of the Defence Support Group. But as part of our planned drawdown from Germany there will be a requirement to provide controlled humidity environment storage facilities as part of Army 2020.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Proportion of Ministry of Defence civil servant disciplinary cases in which subject was white British 
			  Percentage 
			 2009-10 84.7 
			 2010-11 83.7 
			 2011-12 82.3 
			 2012-13 76.8 
			 2013-14 78.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Proportion of Ministry of Defence civil servant conduct dismissal cases in which subject was white British 
			  Percentage 
			 2009-10 77.2 
			 2010-11 86.5 
			 2011-12 68.9 
			 2012-13 81.1 
			 2013-14 72.6

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not have targets for increasing diversity.
	In 2012 the MOD published its strategic equality objectives in accordance with the statutory requirements flowing from the Equality Act 2010 to promote equality. These objectives, including the advancement of equality of opportunity, were endorsed by the Defence Board to reflect the fact that the duty to promote equality sits squarely at the top of the Department.
	In September 2013, the permanent secretary and chief of the defence staff announced the establishment of a Defence Diversity and Inclusion Programme, with the aim of making a tangible and meaningful change in the MOD’s approach to diversity and diversity outcomes.
	The primary aim of the programme is to make the work force more representative of society at all levels, and metrics will be used to measure success.
	The MOD publishes a biannual breakdown of diversity statistics which contains analysis of all diversity categories for both civilian and service personnel. The most recent report, published on 29 May 2014, can be found at the following address:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/combined/diversity-dashboard

HMS Ocean

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Ocean will be declared fit to deploy; and when she will depart on Exercise Cougar 14.

Mark Francois: HMS Ocean is completing refit and will soon put to sea. However, I am withholding precise details of HMS Ocean's future programme as their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Legal Aid Scheme

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases funded by legal aid against his Department where public interest lawyers have represented clients were won by his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: It is not possible to give a definitive answer to this question, since in a number of cases where there were multiple issues before it, the court found for the claimant on some issues and for the defendant on others.

Legal Aid Scheme

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in how many cases against his Department funded by legal aid public interest lawyers represented clients in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: All of the judicial review proceedings relating to Iraq and Afghanistan brought by the firm Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) in the last 10 years have been publicly funded through the legal aid budget. According to available records, PIL has represented approximately 200 clients in issued judicial review proceedings. It is not possible to provide a meaningful annual breakdown as some claims made in one year have had further claimants joined to them in subsequent years.

Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for reviewing the conduct of and representation on local liaison committees for defence nuclear sites.

Philip Dunne: There are no plans for the Ministry of Defence to review the conduct of, or representation at, local liaison committees relating to defence nuclear sites. The operation of such committees is a matter for agreement between the individual site operator (the licensee and/or authorisee) and the appropriate local authorities.

Travel

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department were in receipt of excess fare allowance in each year for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The following table provides the numbers of Ministry of Defence civilian staff in receipt of excess fares allowance (EFA) by financial year, from the earliest date that figures are available:
	
		
			 MOD civilian staff in receipt of EFA 
			 Financial year Number 
			 2007-08 4,735 
			 2008-09 4,792 
			 2009-10 4,438 
			 2010-11 5,072 
			 2011-12 5,098 
			 2012-13 4,552 
			 2013-14 3,987

Veterans

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits of bringing forward legislative proposals similar to those in the US Servicemen’s Readjustment Act 1944.

Anna Soubry: We have made no assessment of legislative proposals along these lines. We have robust measures in place to prepare our service personnel for civilian employment as well as addressing any accommodation, welfare, health and domestic needs and concerns. As Lord Ashcroft highlighted in his recent review of transition arrangements, these measures ensure that the vast majority of service leavers make a successful transition to civilian life.
	All service leavers are entitled to resettlement assistance from the Ministry of Defence funded Career Transition Partnership (CTP), and around 85% of those who use the CTP are employed within six months of leaving. In addition, all service leavers are entitled to housing and financial advice and, through the Officers Association or the Regular Forces Employment Association, lifetime job finding support.
	While in service, our personnel can receive skills, qualifications and experience accredited to nationally recognised standards to ease the transition back into the civilian workplace. In addition, we provide financial support to conduct vocational as well as professional advancement.
	We also support a range of schemes to help veterans and their families secure appropriate accommodation. For information about the guidance and support the Department provides, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie), on 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 442-43W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 200-3WH, what representations he has made to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the recent acquittal of 14 officers of the armed forces of that country on charges of mass rape and murder.

Mark Simmonds: I welcome efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to prosecute perpetrators on charges of mass rape and murder—but more must be done to deliver justice for the victims. I met the Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the DRC in London last week when he was attending the global summit on ending sexual violence in conflict. I emphasised to him that ending impunity was fundamental to tackling the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence. He confirmed his Government's commitment to tackling sexual and gender based violence and to ending impunity for the perpetrators.
	The British embassy in Kinshasa sponsors a range of projects to tackle sexual violence in the DRC focusing on security sector reform and improving service provision for survivors. During his visit to eastern DRC in March 2013 the Foreign Secretary announced over £1 million in funding to a range of organisations tackling rape and sexual violence. The UK has supported the deployment of an international expert to build capacity of health and legal professionals to address accountability and the investigation and documentation of sexual violence crimes.
	The Foreign Secretary has publicly called on the Congolese authorities to continue in their efforts to seek out and prosecute the remaining perpetrators. Senior officials at our embassy in Kinshasa have, jointly with EU Heads of Mission and independently, also raised the issue directly with the Government of the DRC.
	The International Protocol on the documentation and investigation of sexual violence in conflict, which was field tested in the DRC, was launched at the global summit on 12 June. I hope that the Protocol will be deployed widely, helping to ensure that more and more perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence the world over will be brought to justice.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

David Lidington: Details of Ministers' visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

South Sudan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the meeting between President Salva Kir and Riek Machar in Addis Ababa on 10 June 2014.

Mark Simmonds: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) summit on 10 June saw President Salva Kir and Riek Machar recommit to their earlier cessation of hostilities agreement, and agree to “expedite and complete dialogue on the formation of a transitional government of national unity within 60 days”. This is an important step in the peace process. Both leaders must continue to respect the commitments they have made by reining in their fighters on the ground and engaging constructively in the Addis peace talks. The UK, along with our troika (UK, US and Norway) and EU partners, continues to support IGAD efforts to resolve the crisis.

Sri Lanka

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason Sri Lanka has not been included as a priority country for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) is global in reach. It aims to address impunity for crimes of conflict-related sexual violence wherever these occur. We remain concerned at reports of a culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence and a lack of support for victims in Sri Lanka, as well as reports of the use of sexual violence as a means of torture in custody. We have engaged significantly with Sri Lanka on this issue. When the Foreign Secretary visited Sri Lanka in November 2013 to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), he hosted an event to highlight concerns about allegations of sexual violence in Sri Lanka during and after the conflict, and urged Sri Lanka to sign up to the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The UK is also supporting projects to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to rape and sexual violence in Sri Lanka. Our presence at CHOGM also ensured that the final communiqué at the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Colombo in November 2013 contained the first ever commitment by member states to take action to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

Sri Lanka

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make an assessment of prevalence of sexual violence in conflict in Sri Lanka.

Hugo Swire: We remain concerned at reports of a culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence and a lack of support for victims in Sri Lanka, as well as reports of the use of sexual violence as a means of torture in custody. We are clear that rape and sexual violence whether during conflict or afterwards is unacceptable and must stop and we are committed to tackling sexual violence in conflict wherever it happens.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I have urged Sri Lanka to sign up to the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, and we are supporting projects to ensure a zero tolerance approach to rape and sexual violence in Sri Lanka. On 27 March, the UN Human Rights Council agreed a resolution on Sri Lanka that establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations of international law of both sides of the military conflict, and calls upon the Sri Lankan Government to make progress on reconciliation and human rights. The resolution also expresses serious concern at continuing reports of sexual and gender-based violence.

Sudan

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on co-ordinating efforts to secure the release from prison of Meriam Ibrahim.

Mark Simmonds: Through our embassy in Khartoum, the UK has been co-ordinating international efforts, including EU, Troika and others, to secure the release of Meriam Ibrahim from prison. We are also working with EU partners in Brussels to ensure an effective EU response.
	My ministerial colleagues and I will continue to lobby forcefully, bilaterally and with other partners, for Meriam’s release.

USA

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 212W, on USA, whether either government places restrictions on the use of data shared between the UK and the US.

Hugh Robertson: Britain has a strong and long-standing intelligence relationship with the US. In both countries, intelligence work takes place within a strong legal framework. Our intelligence-sharing work with the US is subject to ministerial and independent oversight and scrutiny by the Intelligence and Security Committee. As referred to in my answer to the hon. Member on 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 212W, the Interception Commissioner in his latest annual report addresses the issue of intelligence sharing between the UK and its partners, including recording that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 strictly limits the lawful dissemination of intercept material to the minimum that is necessary for the authorised purposes.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with world leaders to discuss the situation in Yemen since 1 January 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), as well as other FCO Ministers, has regular discussions on Yemen with their counterparts, particularly with those from the Gulf Co-operation Council and the Friends of Yemen Ministerial Group, which the UK hosted in London most recently on 29 April.

JUSTICE

Aarhus Convention

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department collects data on the number and success rate of Aarhus claims made in England and Wales since 1 April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice does not collect judicial review data to this level of detail.

Capita

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what financial penalties have been incurred by Capita in relation to its contract for provision of language services since 31 October 2011.

Shailesh Vara: Capita TI only gets paid for completed bookings, so if it cannot supply an interpreter, it does not get paid. The Ministry of Justice manages service delivery and performance through a number of methods and remedies open to it under the contract. The Ministry is continually working with the supplier to improve performance delivery standards.
	Service credits can be imposed on Capita in line with the terms of the contract when performance falls below the contractual level of 98% success rate. This level was set to drive very high levels of performance.
	The service credit amounts for January 2012 to March 2014 is:
	£53,777.00
	The new interpreting contract was introduced to tackle the inefficiencies and inconsistencies in the previous system and it has already saved taxpayers £15 million in its first year. We have seen dramatic improvements over the life of the contract so far, with performance currently at 94% success rate. Record numbers of bookings are now being made and fulfilled, and we continue to drive further improvement in performance.

Compensation

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to address any growth of a compensation culture in the UK.

Shailesh Vara: The Government are committed to turning the tide on fraudulent personal injury claims, and we have introduced a raft of measures to discourage unnecessary or frivolous claims and tackle inflated costs. Most recently, I announced on 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 27WS, a number of steps that the Government intend to take to reduce the volume of fraudulent claims. These include the power for courts to dismiss fundamentally dishonest claims and a ban on lawyers offering inducements to bring personal injury claims.

Prisoners: Sanitary Protection

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which types and brands of sanitary products female prisoners may purchase from the National Product List; and at what cost.

Simon Hughes: Female prisoners can purchase the following sanitary products from the National Product List:
	Sanitary pads—Always Ultra Normal 32s—price £2.69
	Sanitary towels—Tena Lady Normal 12s—price £2.69.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons operated on half regime during (a) January, (b) February, (c) March, (d) April and (e) May 2014.

Jeremy Wright: The information regarding how many prisons operated on half regime during (a) January, (b) February, (c) March, (d) April and (e) May 2014, is not collated centrally. The term 'half regime' is not used in prison establishments, and is unlikely to be interpreted consistently. The processes required to collect this data would incur disproportionate costs.

Work Capability Assessment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have currently been waiting (a) up to one month, (b) one to two months, (c) two to three months, (d) three to four months, (e) four to five months and (f) more than six months for their appeal against their being deemed fit for work to be determined.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits including a person's entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA).
	While a work capability assessment (WCA) can be a key factor in an ESA decision, it is not the only consideration. Appeals are brought against ESA refusals, and not WCA decisions themselves. The tribunal does not record information on those ESA appeals in which the WCA decision is a factor, and as such HMCTS does not hold the specific information requested.
	Information on appeals against ESA decisions is published by HMCTS in Tribunal Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report for the period January to March 2014, published on 12 June 2014, can be viewed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2014

Youth Custody

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders under the age of 18 were held in the adult secure estate in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Jeremy Wright: The Youth Justice Board commissions a distinct secure estate in which children and young people under the age of 18 are placed. Under-18s will only ever be placed in the adult estate in exceptional circumstances, after a thorough risk assessment, and when it is in the best interests of the young person concerned.
	Information on the number of young people aged under 18 years who were authorised to move into the over-18 estate between 2010 and 2013 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of under-18s moved to over-18 secure estate 
			 2010 9 
			 2011 5 
			 2012 6 
			 2013 0

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Infrastructure Projects: Jordan Valley

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure that the funding of infrastructure projects in the Jordan valley is not dependent on approval from the Israeli Government.

Justine Greening: We continue to believe the best approach to development in Area C is to engage constructively with Israel to help Palestinian communities to plan and build for their future without fear of demolition. We consistently emphasise the need for unfettered humanitarian provision, including necessary infrastructure.

Infrastructure Projects: Jordan Valley

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure that the funding of infrastructure projects in the Jordan valley is not dependent on approval from the Israeli government.

Justine Greening: We continue to believe the best approach to development in area C is to engage constructively with Israel to help Palestinian communities to plan and build for their future without fear of demolition. We consistently emphasise the need for unfettered humanitarian provision, including necessary infrastructure.

South Sudan

David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan.

Lynne Featherstone: I am deeply concerned about the man-made tragedy in South Sudan. The UN estimates that 1.1 million people are displaced within the country and almost 370,000 are refugees. Food security is deteriorating with the risk of famine. Four million people are in need of assistance.

South Sudan

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the scale of the threat of rape faced by women in South Sudan; and what steps her Department plans to take to reduce such threats.

Lynne Featherstone: Sexual violence has been widespread during the conflict. We have pressed the Government and Opposition to act to prevent sexual violence. Our humanitarian programmes help protect vulnerable women and girls, and provide support for case management for the victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

Overseas Development

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes her Department operates to improve the criminal justice system of countries in receipt of overseas development assistance.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID currently funds security and justice work (i) through 26 bilateral programmes in 13 developing countries, (ii) through the tri-departmental conflict prevention pool and (iii) through multilateral agencies and non-governmental organisations. Some of these programmes include work on criminal justice system reform.

Post-2015 Development Framework

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her health priorities are in discussions on the post-2015 development framework.

Justine Greening: The UK objective for post-2015 is to agree a simple, inspiring, measurable set of goals centred on eradicating extreme poverty that should finish the job that the millennium development goals started. The goal should be outcome focused, measuring reductions in preventable death and disease and giving women and girls sexual and reproductive health rights.

Bangladesh

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes and activity her Department undertakes in Bangladesh.

Justine Greening: DFID funds a wide range of programmes to reduce poverty and support progress towards the millennium development goals in Bangladesh. Our programmes are improving the provision of basic services, supporting private sector development and helping to reduce risks to development, including from natural disasters. We are also focused on improving working conditions and building safety in the garment sector.

Palestine

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of illegal settlements on the economic development of Palestine.

Justine Greening: Denying Palestinians access to the resources of area C, whether through expanding illegal settlements, declaring closed military zones and national parks, or restricting movement and access, is crippling the Palestinian economy. The World Bank estimates that easing these restrictions could increase Palestinian GDP by 35%.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent progress her Department has made in promoting development relating to water sanitation and hygiene; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID aims to meet our commitments to support 60 million people to gain access to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH), through a range of programmes delivered by our Country Offices and from central teams. Details of our current WASH programmes are available on the DFID website:
	http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk
	Progress made through our on-going WASH programmes is detailed in the ‘DFID Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13’. Results from the implementation of more recent commitments will be detailed in the next Annual Report.

Iraq

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she plans to increase the UK's humanitarian contribution to Iraq.

Justine Greening: As I announced on Saturday, the UK is providing an initial £3 million of emergency humanitarian assistance to help civilians fleeing the ISIL advance in Northern Iraq. Following an assessment of needs on the ground by DFID humanitarian experts who deployed to Erbil last Thursday, this includes:
	(i) Activation of the UK’s Rapid Response Facility (RRF), which provides emergency support via pre-approved organisations in the event of a humanitarian crisis overseas. This initial package of UK support comprises clean water and sanitation, essential medicine, women-friendly hygiene kits and basic household items, which will be provided from £2 million of RRF funding to NGOs in the region.
	(ii) Protection for vulnerable girls and women through the deployment of dedicated UN safety and welfare teams in key internally displaced person and refugee camp sites and areas, secured through £1 million of funding to the UNHCR.
	The UK will continue to monitor the situation closely and we are considering urgently what other assistance we could provide.

Syria

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Syria.

Justine Greening: The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic proportions. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid within Syria. At least 6.5 million people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes to other areas of the country and there are now over 2.8 million refugees in the region.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Animal Experiments: Yorkshire and the Humber

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with B&K Universal Ltd, Yorkshire Evergreen or its associates relating to its planning application for a facility at Grimston, Yorkshire for the breeding of dogs and other animals for laboratory use in the last 12 months.

David Willetts: UK Trade and Investment and BIS officials provided general planning advice to B and K Universal in the last year at the company's request. BIS officials met with B and K's parent company Marshall and signposted other sources of advice and information. Officials were also asked to provide advice on EU Directive 2010/63 and referred this query to the Home Office as the Department with responsibility for implementing the Directive in the UK.
	The use of animals in scientific research remains a vital tool in improving our understanding of how biological systems work both in health and disease and in the development of new medicines and treatments vital for human health and for that of animals. It also underpins the success of the UK's life science sector which has one of the strongest and most productive industries in the world.
	The UK has a rigorous regulatory system which ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternative exists, and under controls which keep suffering to the minimum.
	The Government are committed to working to further reduce the use of animals in scientific research and in February 2013 published its delivery plan. This demonstrates our commitment to the “3Rs”: where possible to replace animal use, reduce the number of animals used and to refine the procedures involved so as to find additional ways to minimise suffering
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-to-reduce-the-use-of-animals-in-research-delivery-plan

Apprentices

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the average annual cost of training an apprentice aged 16 to 18 is; and what proportion of such costs is borne by (a) the public purse, (b) individuals and (c) employers;
	(2)  what the average unit cost per year to train an apprentice aged 19 to 24 is; and what proportion of such costs is borne by (a) the public purse, (b) apprentices and (c) employers;
	(3)  what the average unit cost per year to train an apprentice aged 24 is; and what proportion of such costs is borne by (a) the public purse, (b) apprentices and (c) employers.

Matthew Hancock: The cost of providing an apprenticeship is highly variable.
	In 2012, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned a report from The Institute for Employment Research entitled: ‘Employer Investment in Apprenticeships and Workplace Learning’:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32306/12-814-employer-investment-in-apprenticeships-fifth-net-benefits-study.pdf
	The report gives details of the costs of apprenticeships to employers in several sectors for 16 to 18-year-olds and for 19 to 24-year-olds. It also compares the contribution of employers to that of the state.

Apprentices: Staffordshire

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships commenced in each sector in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire in the last 12 months.

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by sector subject area and geography is published in a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release (SFR):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships--2
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/308418/apprenticeship-starts-by-region-and-sector-subject-area.xls

Business

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of Scottish independence on businesses in the North East and Cumbria.

Michael Fallon: I have not made such an assessment. The UK Government’s Scotland Analysis Programme identified benefits for UK businesses from common rules and institutions that create a larger domestic market, reduce administrative burdens and encourage fair competition. Diverging regulatory regimes and new burdens created by an international border may affect the level of trade (£48 billion from Scotland to rest of UK in 2012, and £59 billion in the opposite direction) and the 30,000 people who currently travel freely between Scotland and north England each day to work.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he had on human rights during his recent visit to China.

Michael Fallon: My Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), met civil society organisations during his visit and discussed a range of human rights issues, including the rule of law, labour and trade union rights.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who has been invited to the UK-China business summit scheduled during the visit of the Chinese Premier, Li Keqian, to the UK.

Michael Fallon: A number of business events were arranged to coincide with Premier Li's visit to the UK. These included a business lunch hosted by the Prime Minister at No.10 with Ministers, business leaders from UK and Chinese companies and senior Government officials from both sides.
	A number of other events were arranged by the China Britain Business Council and others including over 600 UK and Chinese businesses, large and small, from a range of sectors. These were open to all with companies being able to book tickets for the event.

Disabled Students’ Allowances

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his written statement of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 1WS, on higher education, what public consultation he has undertaken on the proposed changes to disabled students’ allowance.

David Willetts: We are currently consulting with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform both the equality analysis and disabled students’ allowances Guidance for 2015/16.

Disabled Students’ Allowances: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in Birmingham Northfield constituency qualify for the disabled students’ allowance (DSA); and how many such people will be negatively affected by proposed changes to DSA.

David Willetts: Information on students awarded and paid disabled students’ allowance is published annually by Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release “Student Support for Higher Education England”. The latest statistics are available at the following link:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/694170/slcsfr052013.pdf
	A further breakdown for Birmingham Northfield constituency has been provided in the table for the academic year 2012/13. Equivalent figures for the academic year 2013/14 will be available from November 2014.
	Current DSA recipients and disabled students applying for DSAs in 2014/15 will not be affected by these changes in 2015/16.
	We are currently consulting with a wide range of stakeholders and are working through the detail of how the changes will work in practice, including the number of students affected.
	
		
			 Students in receipt of disabled students allowance1 from Birmingham, Northfield constituency; academic year: 2012/13, effective date: 13 November 2013 
			  Number of applicants paid 
			  Application type  
			 Area Full-time application Part-time application Post graduate DSA Total 
			 Birmingham Northfield constituency2 110 10 10 120 
			 1 Disabled student allowance may be paid to the student or to a supplier on the student’s behalf. 2 Figures are derived from the postcode of the applicant’s home address. Notes: 1. The effective date is that of the November 2013 Awards Statistical First Release. The figures are therefore provisional and do not include students who were awarded DSA after November 2013. 2. DSA payments may be made at any point during the academic year or after the end of the academic year. 3. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals do not add to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Disabled Students’ Allowances: West Midlands

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disabled students allowance recipients there are in (a) Birmingham, Hodge Hill constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands.

David Willetts: Information on students awarded and paid Disabled Students’ Allowance is published annually by Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education England’. The latest statistics are available at the following link:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/media/694170/slcsfr052013.pdf
	A further breakdown for Birmingham, Hodge Hill constituency, Birmingham local education authority and the West Midlands has been provided in the table for the academic year 2012/13. Equivalent figures for the academic year 2013/14 will be available from November 2014.
	
		
			 Students in receipt of disabled students allowance1 from Birmingham, Hodge Hill constituency, Birmingham and the West Midlands academic year 2012/13—Effective date: 13 November 2013 
			 Number of applicants paid 
			  Application type  
			  Full-time application Part-time application Post graduate DSA Total 
			 West Midlands Government Region2 5,340 300 360 6,000 
			 Birmingham Local Education Authority2 950 70 80 1,090 
			 Birmingham, Hodge Hill Constituency2 110 10 10 120 
			 1 Disabled student allowance may be paid to the student or to a supplier on the student's behalf. 2 Figures are derived from the Post Code of the applicant's home address. Notes: 1. The effective date is that of the November 2013 Awards Statistical First Release. The figures are therefore provisional and do not include students who were awarded DSA after November 2013. 2. DSA Payments may be made at any point during the academic year or after the end of the academic year. 3. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add to the sum of the components due to rounding.

Employment Tribunals Service

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department’s press release of 1 November 2013 entitled Government considering new powers to tackle non-payment of tribunal awards, what progress he has made in considering the various policy options for improving enforcement of unpaid employment tribunal awards.

Jennifer Willott: It is wrong that where an employment tribunal has found in favour of a claimant and ordered that an award should be made to them by the respondent, so few awards are actually paid.
	The Government are committed to tackling this issue and there is already a lot of work under way. We are aware, however, that there is no single solution and are instead working on a number of different measures to ensure that people get what they are owed. We will be able to say more about developments in this area shortly.

Green Investment Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the written statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, what additional funds will be provided to help assess the feasibility of the Green Investment Bank managing UK International Climate Fund projects.

Michael Fallon: This work will be funded from the UK's £3.87 billion International Climate Fund and has no effect on the £3.8 billion available to the Green Investment Bank for investment within the UK.

Green Investment Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the written statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, what estimate he has made of the staff resource the additional responsibilities on the Green Investment Bank will require.

Michael Fallon: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) expects that the business planning work will require two people and has taken on two individuals with experience in investment in developing economies to complement GIB's in-house expertise in green investment. The costs of these extra staff will be met by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Green Investment Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the written statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, whether the UK Green Investment Bank will be able to invest in green projects overseas.

Michael Fallon: The proposal is that the Green Investment Bank might help to invest funds allocated to the International Climate Fund in green projects in developing economies overseas. The £3.8 billion that has been allocated to GIB remains available solely for investment within the UK.

Green Investment Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the written statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, when he expects the assessment and feasibility stage to be finished; and when he expects to make a further statement on the Bank.

Michael Fallon: This business planning phase of work is expected to take a number of months. I hope to be able to provide an update in the autumn.

Green Investment Bank

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the written statement of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 47WS, on UK Green Investment Bank, whether funds additional to the £3.87 billion allocated to the UK International Climate Fund will be provided to the (a) Bank and (b) Fund.

Michael Fallon: No. The total amount of funding allocated to the International Climate Fund remains unchanged. The proposal being explored is that the Green Investment Bank would help the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to invest a limited amount of those funds.

Higher Education

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the externally audited copies of the last three years' accounts supplied by alternative learning providers who sought specific course designation under his Department's financial sustainability, management and governance checks.

David Willetts: The audited accounts of alternative providers submitted to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as part of the specific designation application process are commercially confidential information. They are only shared with parties involved in the assessment of that application. BIS will not be publishing this information.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what individual student number controls his Department has set for each provider which has been granted specific course designation under his Department's financial sustainability, management and governance checks.

David Willetts: Provisional student number allocations have been issued to providers. However, those numbers will only be confirmed and where necessary adjusted when the provider has received designation or re-designation for the 2014/15 academic year. For the majority of providers that process is still ongoing. We will publish student number control data when that process has been completed for all providers.

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the employers issued with a notice of underpayment of the minimum wage by HM Revenue and Customs since 1 October 2013 have been considered for naming and shaming by his Department; how many of those employers have successfully appealed against being named and shamed; how many employers have been named and shamed; and how many cases remain under consideration.

Jennifer Willott: Under the revised Naming Scheme the Government will name all employers that have been issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NoU) unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less.
	Employers have 28 days to appeal against the NoU. If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BIS outlining whether they meet any of the very exceptional criteria: naming by BIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family, or there are national security risks associated with naming, or there are other factors which suggests that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer or company. Of these, the public interest criteria will only apply in very exceptional circumstances. If BIS does not receive any representations or the representations received do not meet the criteria, the employer will be named via a BIS press release.
	One employer has made a representation that was successful and four employers have had arrears of under £100. We are unable to release information on how many cases are under consideration.
	The Government have already named 30 employers under the revised scheme. Between them they owed workers over £50,000 in arrears and have been charged financial penalties totalling over £24,000.

Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian Government.

Michael Fallon: Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
	Information on meetings by other officials is not held centrally.

Sign Language

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have begun learning British Sign Language in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: The published National Aims Report shows the number of Further Education and Skills enrolments on each Learning Aim title, 2005/06 to 2011/12. This report will be updated with final data for the 2012/13 academic year soon.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284252/January2013_NationalAims2011_12.zip
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-further-education-and-skills

Space Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Space Agency in promoting the UK space industry; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The UK Space Agency (UKSA) was created in April 2011 to lead and foster the growing UK space sector. It does so through funding and delivery of civil space projects and downstream space related activities, developing space policy including advice to Ministers and regulating UK space activities to meet international obligations.
	The UKSA formally tests its performance against such objectives in a number ways and includes amongst these a measure of its effectiveness in promoting the UK space industry. This is primarily through an independent bi-annual “Size and Health” survey of the UK industrial sector which assesses the growth of the UK space economy. The agency also monitors contracts that flow back to UK industry from Agency-targeted subscriptions to the European Space Agency as well as monitoring where agency-supported research and development work has positioned UK industry for success in future operational contracts. More recently the agency has extended its role in actively supporting and promoting UK industrial exports of both satellite and emerging space-related data services.
	All objective measures from these activities point to a growing success story for our space industry. Indeed it is one of our economy’s fastest growing sectors, with an average growth rate of almost 7.5%, and it has ambitions to increase its annual turnover to £40 billion by 2030. The role of the agency in this development is significant and it has developed close relationships with industry.
	The Size and Health survey due to be published in autumn 2014 is expected to show that the space economy has continued to grow between 2011 and 2013.
	Its co-ordination of a business-driven industrial space policy has provided leadership for the UK industrial community (acknowledged by the UK space Innovation and Growth Strategy published in 2013) and this has been recognised by the parliamentary Select Committee report into the UKSA which was published in October 2013.
	The agency serves as an effective platform to raise awareness of the successes of the UK space sector. BIS and agency officials continue to evaluate its success in promoting that work using Government Communications Service best practice.
	A further key measure of success is the increasing number of overseas space companies choosing to invest in the UK and so growing the UK’s wider space capability and economic development.

Space Technology

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the return on public investment in the UK Space Agency; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The return on investment delivered by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) is subject to biennial assessment as part of the Agency survey of the size and health of the space industry. Results of the 2014 survey are due to be published in the autumn of 2014, though I hope to be in a position to announce headline figures such as turnover and employment numbers at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014.
	The European Space Agency (ESA) is the primary route for Government R and D space investment.
	Several economic analyses of investment impact have been undertaken, drawn together in BIS Economics Paper No3 . The Agency's biennial survey of the size and health of the UK space industry has shown growth from £3.4 billion turnover in 1999-2000 to £9.5 billion in 2011, reflecting the results of sustained investment as well as the growth of the market.
	UKSA investment through the European Space Agency (ESA) in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009/10 242.8 
			 2010/11 231.1 
			 2011/12 232.0 
			 2012/13 207.6 
			 2013/14 267.5 
		
	
	In addition, national expenditure averaging £20 million a year has been invested within the UK to build and operate scientific instruments carried on ESA spacecraft. The funding to ESA has been used to contribute to missions and technology in the fields of space science and exploration, earth observation for science and applications, telecommunications and broadband delivery, access to microgravity facilities for life and physical sciences, space weather, navigation technologies, human spaceflight and weather monitoring. As well as resulting expenditure in the UK due to the “juste retour” principle, wider benefits have accrued in economic growth; new scientific knowledge and improved delivery of public services.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the cash value of the student loan book in each year to 2050 (a) before and (b) after sales of student loans.

David Willetts: The information is as follows:
	(a) We estimate the cash value of ICR student loans to follow approximately this profile going forwards:
	
		
			 Value of loan book in real terms 
			  £ billion 
			 2014-15 70 
			 2015-16 80 
			 2016-17 90 
			 2017-18 100 
		
	
	
		
			 2018-19 110 
			 2019-20 120 
			 2020-21 130 
			 2021-22 140 
			 2022-23 150 
			 2023-24 160 
			 2024-25 170 
			 2025-26 180 
			 2026-27 190 
			 2027-28 200 
			 2028-29 210 
			 2029-30 220 
			 2030-31 230 
			 2031-32 240 
			 2032-33 250 
			 2033-34 260 
			 2034-35 260 
			 2035-36 270 
			 2036-37 280 
			 2037-38 280 
			 2038-39 290 
			 2039-40 300 
			 2040-41 300 
			 2041-42 310 
			 2042-43 320 
			 2043-44 320 
			 2044-45 330 
			 2045-46 330 
			 2046-47 330 
			 2047-48 330 
			 2048-49 330 
			 2049-50 330 
		
	
	
		
			 Value of loan book in nominal terms 
			  £ billion 
			 2014-15 70 
			 2015-16 80 
			 2016-17 100 
			 2017-18 110 
			 2018-19 130 
			 2019-20 150 
			 2020-21 170 
			 2021-22 190 
			 2022-23 210 
			 2023-24 230 
			 2024-25 250 
			 2025-26 270 
			 2026-27 300 
			 2027-28 320 
			 2028-29 350 
			 2029-30 380 
			 2030-31 410 
			 2031-32 440 
			 2032-33 470 
			 2033-34 500 
			 2034-35 530 
			 2035-36 570 
			 2036-37 600 
			 2037-38 640 
			 2038-39 670 
			 2039-40 710 
		
	
	
		
			 2040-41 750 
			 2041-42 790 
			 2042-43 830 
			 2043-44 870 
			 2044-45 920 
			 2045-46 960 
			 2046-47 1,000 
			 2047-48 1,030 
			 2048-49 1,070 
			 2049-50 1,100 
		
	
	These estimates assume that fees will increase in line with inflation from 2016 onwards. These forecasts also take account of the freeing up of student number controls in the autumn statement, increases in loan take-up rates, demographic changes over time and updated earnings modelling.
	(b) The Government are a stated aim to sell the pre-2012 loan book. However, the exact programme of sales has yet to be determined. Consequently, it is not possible to estimate the yearly value of the student loan book after these sales have taken place.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate his Department has made of the RAB charge for student loans issued after 2012.

David Willetts: We estimate the RAB charge on these loans to be around 45%.
	The actual cost of issuing student loans will be dependent on future macro-economic circumstances, in particular earnings and we will continue to update our forecasts on a regular basis to take account of changes to short term and long term macro-economic assumptions.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what projections his Department has made of the future (a) face value and (b) carrying value of the student loan book.

David Willetts: The information is as follows:
	(a) We estimate the cash, or face, value of ICR student loans to follow approximately this profile going forwards.
	
		
			 Value of loan book in real terms 
			  £ billion 
			 2014-15 70 
			 2015-16 80 
			 2016-17 90 
			 2017-18 100 
			 2018-19 110 
			 2019-20 120 
			 2020-21 130 
			 2021-22 140 
			 2022-23 150 
			 2023-24 160 
			 2024-25 170 
			 2025-26 180 
			 2026-27 190 
			 2027-28 200 
		
	
	
		
			 2028-29 210 
			 2029-30 220 
			 2030-31 230 
			 2031-32 240 
			 2032-33 250 
			 2033-34 260 
			 2034-35 260 
			 2035-36 270 
			 2036-37 280 
			 2037-38 280 
			 2038-39 290 
			 2039-40 300 
			 2040-41 300 
			 2041-42 310 
			 2042-43 320 
			 2043-44 320 
			 2044-45 330 
			 2045-46 330 
			 2046-47 330 
			 2047-48 330 
			 2048-49 330 
			 2049-50 330 
		
	
	
		
			 Value of loan book in nominal terms 
			  £ billion 
			 2014-15 70 
			 2015-16 80 
			 2016-17 100 
			 2017-18 110 
			 2018-19 130 
			 2019-20 150 
			 2020-21 170 
			 2021-22 190 
			 2022-23 210 
			 2023-24 230 
			 2024-25 250 
			 2025-26 270 
			 2026-27 300 
			 2027-28 320 
			 2028-29 350 
			 2029-30 380 
			 2030-31 410 
			 2031-32 440 
			 2032-33 470 
			 2033-34 500 
			 2034-35 530 
			 2035-36 570 
			 2036-37 600 
			 2037-38 640 
			 2038-39 670 
			 2039-40 710 
			 2040-41 750 
			 2041-42 790 
			 2042-43 830 
			 2043-44 870 
			 2044-45 920 
			 2045-46 960 
			 2046-47 1,000 
			 2047-48 1,030 
			 2048-49 1,070 
			 2049-50 1,100 
		
	
	These estimates assume that fees will increase in line with inflation from 2016 onwards. These forecasts also take account of the freeing up of student number controls in the autumn statement, increases in loan take-up rates, demographic changes over time and updated earnings modelling.
	(b) We estimate the current carrying value of the student loan book, which is used in the BIS accounts. However, we do not forecast the future carrying value of the loan book, as this is not required for the purposes of accounting or budgeting. Our estimate of the carrying value for loans when they are issued is based on the RAB charge, which we currently estimate is around 45%.

Unionlearn

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what annual budget has been allocated to Unionlearn in each year since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: The annual budget allocated to Unionlearn in each year since 2010 has been as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 21.5 
			 2011-12 21.4 
			 2012-13 20.210 
			 2013-14 18.9 
			 2014-15 15.3

Unionlearn

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish all forecasts held by his Department of the annual budget to be allocated to Unionlearn.

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Statement published annually, sets out the funding priorities and available budget to support the further education (FE) and skills sector.
	Annual budgets allocated to individual programmes from the FE and skills budget, including Unionlearn is not published separately.
	As FE and skills budgets for future years have not been agreed, no annual budget has been forecast for unionlearn.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the extent of compliance of operators with point 30 of the Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain guidance in Statutory Document 14: Local Bus Services.

Stephen Hammond: ‘Statutory Document 14: Local Bus Services’, which was drafted by and consulted on by the Senior Traffic Commissioner, has not yet been finalised following the consultation period. There is, therefore, no ‘point 30’ within existing guidance on which to make any assessment.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 8 May 2014, Official Report, column 276W, on motor vehicles: exhaust emissions, if he will place the data from his Department's 2006 study of liquefied petroleum and petrol vehicles in the Library.

Stephen Hammond: The report produced for the Department at the end of the study (Ref: M. Clark, P. Sayer, Euro 3 LPG Retrofit Emissions Factor Testing, Tickford Powertrain Test Ltd., ER07/015, June 2007) contains the data captured by the testing. Copies of the report will be placed in the in the Libraries of the House.

Official Cars

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles built by Nissan are in the Government car pool.

Stephen Hammond: There are 84 vehicles operated by the Government Car Service for ministerial use. None of these are currently built by Nissan. The Government Car Service trialled the use of a Nissan Leaf in 2012 and it operated the Nissan Primera within the ministerial fleet until 2005. The ministerial fleet is scheduled for review later this year.

Railways: Kingston Upon Hull

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work on the electrification of the railway line between Hull and Selby to begin.

Stephen Hammond: Feasibility work on the project continues. Subject to further development and implementation funding and confirmation of the business case the scheme's promoter, First Hull Trains, anticipates that certain physical works could commence in 2015.